But this task can become much more challenging when we try and understand other animals. We spend much of our time trying to figure out what other people are thinking. The answer is as unexpected as it is profound. How is a 98 degree, hairy, bony, air-breathing biped supposed to understand a 47 degree, boneless, eight-limbed, water-breathing blob covered in suction cups? Well, acclaimed nature writer Sy Montgomery doesn’t let a little slime get in her way and in The Soul of an Octopus she sets out to find out if a human and an octopus can develop true friendship. For the past 500 million years humans and octopuses have evolved their substantial cognitive abilities on vastly different branches of the evolutionary tree, so that a seemingly impassable gulf now exists between the species. But there may be no intelligent creature more foreign to the human experience than the octopus. Truth be told, we often struggle to understand each other. There’s no particular reason humans should be able to understand other animals.
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Science has long known that the world we perceive around us is not the world as it really is – rather, it is an interpretation, a best guess made by our brain, compiled from the constant stream of information flooding in from our senses. When Joy reminisces in an early scene about how they got together, she realises it might never have happened if not for the sport: ‘They played their first match… She lost 6-4, 6-4, and then went right ahead and lost her virginity.’ And now, it seems, they are not set to enjoy an ordinary retirement either, with a mysterious knock at the door late one night revealing a bleeding and bedraggled stranger standing on their doorstep asking for help.Īt its heart, this is a book about perspectives. Joy and Stan united in their youth over a shared love of tennis, and they have spent the majority of their lives running a coaching school and local club. The Delanys, it turns out, are no ordinary suburban family. We witness a seemingly abandoned bike being stolen by a skinny stranger in football shorts, then segue to the four adult children of the Delany family discussing the disappearance of their mother, Joy, over coffee and apple crumble in a Tuscan-style café. The new novel from the author of Big Little Lies and Nine Perfect Strangers delivers a family mystery told from multiple perspectives.Īpples Never Fall, the latest novel from New York Times bestselling author Liane Moriarty, opens with a mystery. I can see the effects of this early childhood experience on my present anti capitalistic feelings. I was much too young to remember the beginning of this depression, but I do recall how I questioned my parent about the numerous people standing in bread lines when I was about five years of age. My birthplace was Atlanta Georgia, the capital of the state and the so-called “gate-way to the south.” I was born in the late twenties on the verge of the great depression, which was to spread its disastrous arms into every corner of this nation for over a decade. He attributes the decision to become a minister to his father’s “noble example” despite their theological differences, King retains his “admiration for a real father.” He also recounts two formative experiences: the shock of a childhood confrontation with racism and the death of his grandmother. “It is quite easy for me to think of a God of love,” King writes, “mainly because I grew up in a family where love was central and where lovely relationships were ever present.” King relates seminal events in his religious development, including his baptism into the church at age seven and his call to the ministry while in college. King recalls a nurturing family life-closely interwoven with activities in his father’s church-which conditioned him to be optimistic about human nature. In this revealing essay written for Davis’s course the Religious Development of Personality, King reviews the influences of his family and church on his religious beliefs. 'It's the perfect-to-read-aloud text and gentle humour, combined with an emotionally satisfying - if unlikely - ending, and those glorious illustrations that will make it a bedtime favourite.' Time Out 'Carle's repetitively structured story works perfectly and shows that he has lost none of his touch in the 30 years since 'The Very Hungry Caterpillar' was published.' The Guardian Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers ISBN: 9780007243808 Number of pages: 32 Weight: 288 g Dimensions: 178 x 127 x 7 mm MEDIA REVIEWS Brightly illustrated with his unique collage-style art and featuring a surprise squeaky little rubber duck on the final page! But when a storm strikes, 10 little ducks are tossed into the sea and swept away in 10 different directions - with some wonderfully unexpected adventures along the way.Ĭome ride the waves as legendary children's book author and illustrator, Eric Carle, explores numbers, directions, opposites, animals and more in this extraordinary toddler-friendly board book. Get swept away with 10 little rubber ducks! A superb new board book from the creator of 'The Very Hungry Caterpillar' - with a squeaky rubber duck surprise ending!Ī brand-new batch of rubber ducks is loaded on to a ship and sent off to be delivered to children everywhere. His mother’s courage in standing up to her husband also served as an inspiration in Dean’s writing. Dean’s father, Raymond Koontz, was extremely abusive to him and his mother. His childhood had a strong influence on his writing as he grew older. Dean Koontz was born in July of 1945, a month before World War II ended in the Pacific. Many who have never even read his works, and have simply seen his books on the shelves recognize his name. He is considered one of the most successful authors alive today. His novels have sold over 450 million copies worldwide and have been translated in to 38 different languages. The Servants of Twilight (As: Leigh Nichols)ĭean Koontz is a popular author of novels, short stories, and poetry in the United States, and has had fourteen of his novels reach the number one position on the New York Times Bestseller List, with several others reaching other positions. The Fall of the Dream Machine / The Star Venturesĭark of the Woods / Soft Come the Dragons The Mysterious Affair at Styles Audiobook SummaryĪgatha Christie’s debut novel, The Mysterious Affair at Styles, features the first appearance of the eccentric Belgian detective, Hercule Poirot. How to get celebrity voices with text to speech.
He doesn’t want to know, either, because to get over his fears means confronting them. Bob knows his fears aren’t rational, but he doesn’t know why he has so many. He has a long list of fear and phobias ranging from closed doors to public speaking. When Bob isn’t fretting over his job or his wife, he is worrying about something else. Surrounded by all these outward signs of financial and relationship success, Bob is, in fact, miserable and alone. He finds advertising boring and pointless, but again, he refuses to walk away. As if this weren’t enough, Bob hates his job, too. He can’t bring himself to ask for a divorce because he doesn’t want to hurt her, and he doesn’t want to lose the air of respectability that he believes marriage brings. He cheats on her all over Manhattan and he drinks heavily. Although Bob loved his wife once, he despises her now. To outsiders looking in, Bob has a perfect life nevertheless, Bob is chronically unhappy. He has a fancy house in Connecticut, an attractive wife, and three children. Set in 1960s Manhattan, the story is a satire of the so-called “American Dream.” Protagonist Bob Slocum is a mid-level marketing executive at a corporate advertising firm. American author Joseph Heller’s controversial novel, Something Happened (1974), centers on a character who has everything but happiness. Later, Goddard stayed in Oregon for a brief period. The region in which she used to live was once considered very rich because of the oil reserves underground. Goddard spent her initial years growing up in a tiny town located in East Texas. As of today, author Goddard resides in Minnesota along with her children and husband. Goddard did what her heart suggested her and the rest they say is history. Later, she thought of using this opportunity to fulfill lifelong dream of becoming a full time writer. Author Goddard left her job to look after children and take care of their home schooling. She has worked in high level sales of a software company for many years. She completed her graduation from the State University of North Texas and earned her Bachelor of Science degree in the subject of Computer Science. Author Goddard is a seventh generation Texan. These books had received the nominations in the Excellence in Suspense/Mystery category. Author Goddard is a 2 time finalist of the Daphne Du Maurier prize in 2016 for her books Backfire and Buried. This book had won the Carol Award in 2011. Among her most successful novels is a romantic mystery book called The Camera Never Lies. Elizabeth Goddard is an award winning and bestselling author from The United States, who has written more than 25 novels to her name in the various genres of romance, thriller, fantasy, science fiction, and mystery. All the stories in this anthology are so full of Black Girl Magic and so full of meaning that they just touch the heart. Review:The back of my copy of “A Phoenix First Must Burn” says that it is anthology that is “Beyonce’s ‘Lemonade’ meets Octavia Butler” and I have to say that this is true. McKinney, Danielle Paige, Rebecca Roanhorse, Karen Strong, Ashley Woodfolk, and Ibi Zoboi. You will never forget them.Īuthors include Elizabeth Acevedo, Amerie, Dhonielle Clayton, Jalissa Corrie, Somaiya Daud, Charlotte Davis, Alaya Dawn Johnson, Justina Ireland, Danny Lore, L.L. Witches and scientists, sisters and lovers, priestesses and rebels: the heroines of A Phoenix First Must Burn shine brightly. Filled with stories of love and betrayal, strength and resistance, this collection contains an array of complex and true-to-life characters in which you cannot help but see yourself reflected. A Phoenix First Must Burn will take you on a journey from folktales retold to futuristic societies and everything in between. Summary: Sixteen tales by bestselling and award-winning authors that explore the Black experience through fantasy, science fiction, and magic.Įvoking Beyoncé’s Lemonade for a teen audience, these authors who are truly Octavia Butler’s heirs, have woven worlds to create a stunning narrative that centers Black women and gender nonconforming individuals. Publisher: Viking Books for Young Readers The book is a project of social realism, describing the weight of injustice suffered by the poor during the last years of Mubarak’s reign. His first novel Taxi quickly became a bestseller when it was first published in 2006 and has enjoyed enduring popularity.The book is currently on its 23rd printing, with over 200,000 copies sold in Arabic, and has been translated into ten other languages. Why? Because you were reading a book, and I know everybody who reads books in this country.’”Īl-Khamissi is a somewhat surprising character to speak about the sparse literary readership in Egypt. I went over to say hello, and he told me ‘I was sure I knew you. “I was once sitting on a plane when I felt somebody looking at me,” Khaled al-Khamissi recounts. |